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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22771114">Learned Happiness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuffandthangs/pseuds/stuffandthangs'>stuffandthangs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Post Miracle Queen, Post season three, Realisations</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:35:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,715</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22771114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuffandthangs/pseuds/stuffandthangs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Chloe discovers the crushing regret of Kim abandoning his crush on her, and becoming and overnight swimming success, Marinette teaches her some things about love and happiness.  Chloe of course, claims the good advice as her own and accepts that for now maybe she'll let Kim have his plain girlfriend and his swimming notoriety and not interfere in his life.  </p><p>Mentions of Adrien/Kigami,  Chloe/Marinette/Alya secret friendship/'not friendship'.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Lê Chiến Kim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Learned Happiness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Him?  He doesn’t even deserve a minute of my time.  He’s nothing.”  She told Sabrina as she glanced up at Le Chien Kim a few seats above her and then glanced away again.</p><p>Chloe’s stomach plummeted.  She didn’t know when she first started doubting those words but she’d built it up in her mind for so long that she was holding strong to the notion, at least on the surface.</p><p>Of course that could only hold on for so long.  Things were occurring that were shattering her reality of what she believed.</p><p>At first it was when she’d found out he was one of the miraculous holders, and it was so ridiculous, utterly ridiculous that Ladybug would give Kim a miraculous, out of all people.  The boy was a buffoon, monkeying around with Alix and Max all the time.  He could hardly be entrusted to something so precious.  He had to be one of the worst heroes in the history of heroes.</p><p>And then news got out that Kim was dating some plain looking swimming girl. Chloe tried not to care about that because it wasn’t her fault that he decided to drop all his standards and good taste.  Obviously there was something defunct in his brain.  The boy had brain damage from being underwater too long.  That had to be the only reason that he’d give up chasing the girl of his dreams (her obviously) and go after someone who was barely a fraction of her looks, notoriety and perfection.</p><p>But then it got worse… because now the entire class was standing around congratulating Kim on his new achievement: representing Paris in a teen swimming contest.  This idiot was actually getting famous now and was now reported on all over Paris... and it made Chloe seethe inside.</p><p>“What he did isn’t so special,” Chloe said finally when she was sick of hearing <i>‘Well done Kim!’</i> and <i>‘That’s awesome Kim!’</i> on repeat.  It was the end of the day and Chloe couldn’t hear any more of it.  It was testing her sanity.</p><p>She flipped her hair and stalked out of the room, annoyed no one wanted to take her side in taking Kim down a peg.  Besides, all this attention was going to his head and it was kind of nauseating for Chloe to watch.</p><p>Chloe sat on the bottom steps after fleeing the classroom, taking a moment out for Sabrina to follow her and filing her nails.  It wasn’t Sabrina who came down the stairs first though.  Chloe looked up at the sound of footsteps.</p><p>“Dupain-Cheng.”  Chloe breathed.  She wasn’t really upset.  Marinette had gotten more tolerable since the whole Miracle Queen debacle.  Chloe was shunned by the entire school for a while there, but Marinette and her friend Alya lead the charge in getting people to forgive Chloe again.  They weren’t exactly friends, but Chloe found she couldn’t be as hostile to Marinette anymore, as much she once was.</p><p>So there was Marinette and Alya coming down the stairs in a beeline for Chloe, as if Chloe needed the comforting.</p><p>“Are you here to tell me how great Kim is as well?  Because I’m not hearing it.”  Chloe’s voice cracked a little as she tried to remain strong-willed with her defiant attitude.</p><p>Marinette frowned a little, as if in pity and Chloe shrunk under that implied pity.  She hated being pitied and she felt like she was being seen through.</p><p>“Chloe, um, did you think…” Marinette stuttered.</p><p>“Out with it Dupain-Cheng.”</p><p>“Did you think maybe you’re so bothered about the success of Kim is because maybe just maybe he’s moved on and is happy now… um, without you?”  Marinette was tapping her pointer fingers together in that way she did when she stuttered out her babble from time to time.</p><p>“How dare you!” Chloe retorted with the highest offense.  “I ought to fire you, that’s…”</p><p>“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous,” Alya broke in with a wry laugh.  “Girl, you got it bad.”</p><p>Chloe flushed and looked away, anywhere so she didn’t have to acknowledge that uncomfortable assumption of hers as being as close to hitting the mark as it was.</p><p>“Kim is this big famous swim star now and you finally realize he’s good enough for you but he’s moved on.”  Alya sat next to Chloe with a compassionate smile in her direction.  “It’s called regret.”</p><p>“I don’t care what it’s called,” Chloe replied haughtily.  “Because whatever it is, I don’t have it.”</p><p>“It’s okay to feel regret Chloe, I mean everyone has regrets.  Sometimes I have regrets over not telling Adrien how I feel about him, but then I look at him with Kigami and I’m just happy he’s happy.”  Marinette looked off into the distance whimsically. </p><p>“Well that’s stupid.” Chloe replied, startling both Alya and Marinette.</p><p>“That’s a little rude,” Alya crossed her arms with a scowl.</p><p>“Why be happy that he’s happy?  If you’re not happy then why not get what you want?”  And Chloe didn’t even believe that Adrikins was happy with Kigami.  Not really.  Kigami fit the mould of what Adrikins thought his father wanted for him, nothing more and nothing less. Adrikins was even more blind than Marinette was. “Why give that up?”</p><p>“Because it’s not about me.  It’s about doing what’s right for everyone.”</p><p>“Where I’m from, that’s called being weak Dupain-Cheng.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s only weak because you haven’t realized how much strength it takes to put someone else above yourself.”  Alya retorted.</p><p>Chloe considered this… and assessed her feelings towards the tall goofball who was once head over heels for her.</p><p>“Well I’m <b>not</b> happy Kim is happy.” Chloe replied with venom in her words.  “His girlfriend is stupid and his swimming is stupid.  And his face is stupid.”</p><p>Alya broke out in a giant grin and met Marinette’s hidden smile.  “Okay Chloe, but some day you’re going to have to deal with that regret of yours… and either live with it like Marinette has, or do something about it.”</p><p>Alya was annoying but she was completely right and Chloe pouted as she considered her two options.  She supposed for now she could be happy that Kim was ‘happy’.  His subpar girlfriend and swimming success probably made him happy.  That was less daunting than the prospect of Chloe actually admitting that she missed his attention and somewhat liked that stupid face of his.  She’d be likely to drop dead first before stooping to the level of grovelling for the boy she’d once rejected.  If he even knew that she wasn’t as disgusted by him as she once pretended… well, that wouldn’t fly.  Chloe had to keep up appearances by any means necessary, even denying these bubbling feelings she was desperate to suppress.</p><p>“Fine.”  That was as close as she was going to get to telling Alya she was right, and it already made Alya look smug enough just from that one little word.</p><p>The bell had gone, and Mr Damocles was already hopping out the front doors as the Owl man and Sabrina finally joined Chloe, allowing Chloe to shoo away her makeshift ‘friends’ (not-friends).</p><p>“Hoo-hoo!”</p><p>“Leave it to Mr Damocles to be the first one out the door.” Alya commented as Chloe turned her full attention on the redhead with glasses.</p><p>“Where were you Sabrina?  You should have left when <b>I</b> left.”</p><p>But for once Chloe was glad she hadn’t because Marinette and Alya somewhat understood where Chloe was coming from and made her actually feel somewhat normal for having feelings that she couldn’t control regarding that utterly ridiculous boy from class, who was so far beneath her that it was outlandish even considering liking him…  Except perhaps he wasn’t so far beneath her anymore and that was the problem.</p><p>“I just needed to get our homework.”</p><p>Just then there was a blur of red, as Chloe could make out the form of Kim racing down the stairs and out the doors, closely followed by Alix, who was reaching out to make a grab for his shirt while she ran.  Chloe pursed her lips as he went by, a slight shade of red coloring her cheeks which dissipated as soon as she noticed Sabrina staring at her strangely.</p><p>“Let’s <b>go</b> Sabrina and don’t leave me waiting next time.”</p><p>Sabrina suspected but Chloe wasn’t going to make it clear for her or for anyone else.  Marinette and Alya may have seen behind the facade but they would be the only ones.  And Chloe would keep her pride in tact and let Le Chien Kim be ‘happy’ although it made her feel as misguided as Marinette was, a little bit of a spark of joy was lit within her that she was giving up some of her own desires for the ‘greater good’.  It must have been why Marinette got off on being so giving all the time.</p><p>She supposed after her rejections that maybe he could get a bit of happiness.  Although how anyone could be truly satisfied without her was completely beyond Chloe Bourgeois. </p><p>“Um Chloe?”</p><p>“Yes Sabrina?”  Chloe was going to humor her, since she was in a much better mood than she had been earlier.  “Be quick.”</p><p>“You just look ummm… happy?”  Sabrina winced at the word.  It wasn’t very befitting of Chloe.</p><p>“Of course I’m happy, because I make other people happy.  Do <b>you</b> make other people happy Sabrina?”  Of course now Chloe was going to claim Kim’s happiness as her own, since letting him live his life without her was of course Chloe’s own very generous decision.</p><p>“Oh um- I don’t know.”</p><p>“If you don’t know, then you don’t Sabrina.  But follow me and I’ll teach you what I do in giving up what I want to make other people happy.”  That thing Chloe had learned three minutes ago and only just started applying.</p><p>“You’re so generous Chloe…” Sabrina started to blather and continued praising Chloe all the way back to the hotel and the endless praise almost made up for the sinking feeling in her stomach that Chloe finally wanted that utterly ridiculous boy right at the point where she couldn’t have him.  But she’d take this pride-boosting happiness pill for now to rid her of all her lovelorn feelings, because it worked for Marinette and sometimes Dupain-Cheng had good advice.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hoo-hoo.  </p><p>Still love this pairing and think they're meant to be.  Our King and Queen miraculous holders.  It kind of makes me want to do a bit of Pollen/Xuppu interaction cause I can just imagine Pollen being outwardly unimpressed by Xuppu.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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